The Woman Before Me
By Ruth Dugdall
Published by
Legend Press
ISBN 9781907461156
Category Thriller/Crime/Mystery
Winter 2010
Synopsis
A dark and disturbing story of when love turns to obsession. Psychological and filled with suspense, The Woman Before Me investigates the bond between a mother and child, and just how far one will go to protect their family.
Author's Biography
Ruth studied English and Theatre at Warwick University, and then an MA in Social Work at UEA. She worked as a Probation Officer for a decade, working in prisons with numerous high-risk criminals. Her writing is informed by her experiences. The novel was the winner of the CWA Debut Dagger Award in 2005 for an unpublished work.
Reviews
‘An enthralling psychological thriller - perfect for fans of Sophie Hannah’- Best-selling author Sam Mills
‘Dark, disturbing and authentic’ - CWA judging panel
‘This novel is an extremely addictive debut… a real page-turner… As a debut novel, this is a remarkably assured and well-written book.’ – Petrona
‘always a page-turner… This is a clever and suspenseful story told in an engaging style.’ – thebookbag.co.uk
‘Ruth is a young British crime-writer who uses her career in the Probation Service to stunning effect… a bleak, dark psychological thriller, at times quite hypnotic… gripping and powerful.’ – Shotsmag
‘This award-winning psychological thriller spins a tale of love and obsession, weaving in matricide, suicide, arson and infidelity… diverting debut’ – Daily Mail
£7.99 Paperback
Size in mm: Height of book 198, Width of book 130 Pages: 288
Publication date 28/08/10
Reader Comments
could not put this book down brilliant writing desperate for the truth in a complicated web of a troubled woman
What a fantastic read. A friend leant it to me and I have to say it is not the type of book I would usually read (normally I just like an easy to read romance) however I thought I would give it a go well, I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than 3 days a super book and I look forward to Ruth's next one.
Having just got back into reading regularly I found "The Woman Before Me" excellent, powerful & enthralling. I enjoyed every page & look forward to Ruth's 2nd novel.
Ruth Dugdall is brilliant. Please, please read her
Wonderful twist! Keeps you guessing to the end!
Couldn't put it down.
Great read, Well thought plot & well defined charaters. A readable and enticing story. I'm enjoying the local Suffolk setting.
best book i have read in a long time !!
Not only exciting and scary but beautifully written.
Great read
Wonderful story and brilliant writing
This book reads true. Great writing, riveting story, characters and dialogue are believable.
The twist is intense. A must read for fans of the genre!!!!!
a stimulating book
Brilliant, Ruthie!
I vote for this book
Great to see this doing so well!
I vote for this book for the peoples book award!
A great read with one almighty twist!
Excellent read and set around where I live so an added interest
excellent book
I didn't see the twist coming.
Excellent book. Really cant wait till the next book!!
AHHHHH OOHHHH YEEHA. Loved it
Marvellous rollocking read. Near put the wind up my sales I can tell you
Really enjoyed this book, even more than her previous one. Looking forward to the next.
A joy to read. Well thought out and written thriller by an exciting new author. Look forward to reading more in the future.
A good read!
Great novel with absorbing characters. A very tense read.
A compelling read with a real surprise in the end! Looking forward to the next book already!
A fantastic read.
Extremely accomplished.
I was unable to put this book down and read it in one setting. Sensitively written.
A gripping read right from the start, with lots of twists and turns. Once I started reading I couldn't stop.
Amazingly good. Had me hooked from the first page
Gripping, easy read with a surprising twist at the end.
A great read, with a clever twist
Great story, fluently written. I have recommended this book to others. I can't wait for the next one - is there one on the way? Hope so!
excellent book, couldn't put this down. read it several times too!!
Fantastic book. A real page turner and I couldn't put it down.
An excellent book. Totally absorbing and very thought-provoking.
Beautiful read! Love the voice! ;)
Brilliant read (what I've read sofar - the extract). The MC has a strong voice which is well depicted in the first person writing (even though I'm biased to first person writing).
Very recommendable!
This is a wonderful, absorbing book which drew me in from the very first page. A fantastic read, can't recommend it highly enough.
Excellent book, you get to know every character in depth. I couldn't put it down. It gets my vote!
excellent read - pageturner and really good characters
A must read book for all readers wanting to read a great psychological thriller
Tense, page-turner of a book, seen from the unusual point of view of the 'criminal'. This book made me challenge some of my ideas and there is a great twist at the end. I couldn't put it down, would thoroughly recommend it!
A very strong thriller
This story gripped me from the very first page. Ruth Dugnall's writing is sublime - crisp, spare and utterly absorbing.
A compelling read with plenty of depth.
Well done, Ruth!
Excellant
A brilliant page-turner - a great read.
Very good psychological thriller with an unusual point of view.
Brilliant read. Characters that stay with you long after you have raced through the book.